


The Words Are True

by winnix



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Drinking, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 20:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6580459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winnix/pseuds/winnix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The CD inside was just as blank as the case, save for a small smiley face, drawn in sharpie. Dex glared." </p><p>Nursey gives Dex a mixtape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Words Are True

**Author's Note:**

> playlist - http://8tracks.com/winnix/the-words-are-true
> 
>  
> 
> all characters belong to Ngozi

** Settle Down - The 1975 **

 

Will sneered down at the first song title.  


“Seriously?” He asked, glancing up. Nursey chuckled.  


“It’s a good song, trust me.”  
  
“I don’t trust any of this.” Will insisted, turning the CD case over in his hands again. It was blank, except for a sticky note with the track list of the back of the case. Carefully, Will opened it. The CD inside was just as blank as the case, save for a small smiley face, drawn in sharpie. Will glared.  
  
“Cute, right?” Nursey asked with a smirk.  
  
“Nothing you do is cute.”

“Now, that’s completely false.” Nursey’s smirk widened into a grin. Will glared harder. “C’mon, just listen to it. You’ll like it.”

“What makes you so sure?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow. He had been ambushed on his way out of the locker room, the rest of the team having left before him to set up the Haus for the party that night. He’d thought he was the last one out, until he swung around the doorway, and Nursey was waiting for him, as casual as ever. It was infuriating.

Even though they were some definition of “friends”, it didn’t mean Nursey’s ever present relaxed air stopped annoying the shit out of him.

Nursey had given Will the CD case before he could even speak. If he had known, he would’ve ran.

“Because I know you.” Nursey crossed his arms, as if his statement was final. Will hesitated slightly. Sure, Nursey knew him on the ice, but that had nothing to do with his taste in music. “There’s more to life than Bob Dylan, man.” For a moment, the D-men stood in a stalemate, Nursey blocking Will’s path to the exit.

“Fine.” Will finally conceded, earning him a smile from Nursey that, because it was him, had to be described as “thrilled”. “I’ll listen to it.”

“You won’t regret it.” Nursey finally let Will pass, patting on the back at he went. “Text me when you finish it!”

“As if I could stomach it in one sitting!” Will shot back. Nursey’s laugh echoed down the halls of the Faber.

 

  
Will listened to the first song that night, just before the party. He could barely understand what the lead singer was saying.

 _what is this guy saying?_ He texted Nursey while he was lying on his bed, CD in his laptop, headphones in his ears.

 _you’re listening!_ Will practically did a double-take at his phone. He’d never seen Nursey use an exclamation point before.

 _yeah, and the first song doesn’t make sense_ Will shot back _you’re supposed to be able to understand lyrics_  
  
_listen again_  Nursey replied instantly _you’ll get it_

Will rolled his eyes, and texted a final see you at the party before ejecting the CD. As if he’d play the song again.

 

“So, you enjoyed the 1975.” Nursey accosted him the Haus later that night during the party. Will almost spilled his beer in surprise.

“No.” He said. Sure, he hadn’t hated it, but “enjoy” didn’t seem like the right word.

“Oh, my bad, dude.” Nursey held his hands up in mock surrender. “It’s just, you were just humming it.” Will blanched. He hadn’t even realized it.

“Yeah, well, bad songs can get stuck in your head too.” He defended, feeling heat rise in his ears. Nursey just grinned, patting Will’s shoulder and heading into the living room behind him.

 

Will listened to the first song again that night, if only to get it out of his head.

 

** Symptoms - Atlas Genius **

 

The library was quiet that morning. Will found a desk near the big window in the back and tugged out his laptop, still a bit groggy. He was an early riser, but the hangover from the party the night before was seriously kicking his ass. His head throbbed as he opened his computer.

He’d been typing his essay for almost an hour when he realized he’d never ejected Nursey’s CD. He glanced quickly around the library, which was still relatively empty. Will went right to the second track this time, headphones securely in his ear, on the off chance that anyone wandered close enough to hear his music.

Will liked the beat of the second song, even though the lead singer was still a bit less understandable than he’d like. Forgetting his essay, Will just listened for a moment, his index finger tapping lightly on the table. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he almost jumped.

“Morning.” Nursey tugged the earphone out of Will’s left ear, and before Will could rush to pause the track, Nursey had already heard it’s muffled sound. “Still enjoying my mixtape, I see.” He grinned, coming around to sit across from Will. Will rolled his eyes, pausing the track and shutting his laptop.

“You’re up early.” He noted as a response. Nursey shrugged, squinting out the window.

“Yeah, well, nothing gets you out of bed like the need for greasy breakfast sandwiches.” Nursey smirked. Will’s stomach growled unhappily. All he’d had that morning was a granola bar.

“Fuck, from Beth’s?” He asked, referencing the diner just off campus with the breakfast sandwich the hockey team had affectionately nicknamed “The Cure”. They made any hangover survivable.

“Of course.” Nursey grinned, reaching in the bag he had set down beside his seat. He tugged out two, tinfoil bundles, eat covered in a plethora of napkins. Will’s eye widened as Nursey slid one across the table to him.

“Uh, thanks.” He muttered, unsure of what to say. “You didn’t have to-”

“It’s no big deal,” Nursey waved a hand, a gesture to “chill”. Will only felt mild irritation. “I knew you had this dumb essay to write, and lightweights always have the worst hangovers.”

“I’m not a lightweight.” Will defended.  
  
“Sure you aren’t, Poindexter.” Nursey smirked, unwrapping his own sandwich. Will opened his mouth to argue, but decided against when his stomach rumbled again. He ate the sandwich in record time, feeling more and more like a real person with every bite. Nursey chuckled at his enthusiasm, though his own sandwich didn’t last much longer.

“I’ll leave you too your boring work,” Nursey stood, balling up the tinfoil in his hand and snatching up his bag from the floor. Will nodded, opening his laptop once more. “Oh, and enjoy the rest of the mixtape.” Nursey smirked before turning on his heel and heading out of the library. Will glared at Nursey’s back, and didn’t un-pause the playlist until the door at shut behind him.  


Reluctantly, he finished the second track. 

** Come A Little Closer - Cage the Elephant **

 

It took Will about fifteen minutes to transfer the CD tracks onto his phone. He justified these fifteen minutes by repeating to himself that this would only make it easier to get the damn mixtape over with, and the sooner he got it over with, the less Nursey would text him about it.

_you done yet?_ Will glanced down at his phone on the way to a lecture.

_track three is really good_ Will looked at his phone resting on the mat beside him at the gym.

 _so is track four_ He caught a glance on his phone in the dining hall, hand tightening into a fist around his fork.

 _actually, all the tracks are good_ Will practically threw his phone across the room in the Haus kitchen. Bitty glanced at him from the oven, but thankfully, didn’t say anything.

 _maybe i should just text you reminders_ Will’s phone buzzed at two in the morning. _every hour on the hour?_ Bleary eyed, Will shot back his first reply to Nursey’s chain.

 _ill listen to track three_ He conceded.

 _:)_ Nursey replied.

The next morning, before his first class, he’d transferred the songs onto his phone, took the sticky note track list, and stuck it in his back pocket. Track three kept him company on the walk to his first lecture. Autumn was giving way to winter, leaving the trees bare, and without meaning to, Will had paused by the pond, glancing out over the placid water.

Nursey was right. Track three was good. For some reason, it reminded Will of the records his Dad used to play at the house in Maine. Something about the grainy tone of the music put him back in his living room, hardwood floors scratched with wear, windows open to let the sea breeze in. He hadn’t felt homesick yet at Samwell. The pond rippled, and his wished desperately for the ocean.

_track three was ok_ He texted Nursey before heading on his way, pausing before track four could begin.

 

** Everlasting Arms - Vampire Weekend **

 

Bitty grabbed onto Will the second he entered the Haus, tugging him back into the kitchen. Nursey grinned up from him at the from the cutting board, some sliced strawberries in front of him.

“Listen, boys, I’ve been forcing Chowder to be my lovely assistant for about a week, but these pies aren’t going to make themselves, and Chowder has a class, so y'all are officially my little helpers for now.” Bitty spoke in a rush, darting around the kitchen. Will nodded, accepting the knife Bitty thrust into his hand.

“Why the sudden pie rush?” Will asked, moving to the counter, one headphone still hanging in his ear. Track four of Nursey’s mixtape had been paused the second he’d reached the Haus’ front steps. He wasn’t risking anything.

“Lardo’s sculpture class has a show, and those poor art lovers need more than just vegetable platters.” Bitty clarified. Will nodded in agreement, glancing down a the celery-like stocks on the counter before him. “Can you cut rhubarb?” Bitty asked after a moment.

“Sure?” Will offered, not exactly confident. Bitty looked like he was about to offer an explanation, but before he could, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Bitty tugged it out of his back pocket, expression of irritation quickly fading into a light blush.

“Um, I need to get this.” He muttered, glancing up at Nursey and Will. “Don’t cut off your fingers, ok?” And with that, he was out of the kitchen, muffling giggles as he rushed up the stairs. Nursey chuckled, refocusing on his strawberries. A few seconds of silence passed before Will finally took a stab at the rhubarb, settling on cutting it into thin slices.

“You finish the mixtape yet?” Nursey asked the question Will knew was coming.

“I don’t know if you can call it a mixtape if it’s on my phone.” Will spoke, brain slow to catch up with the implication of his words.

“You put it on your phone?” Nursey asked, hands freezing over the berries.

“Just so I could listen to it faster!” Will defended. “So you’d stop bothering me about it.”

“So, you finished it then?” Nursey asked again. Will sighed.

“No,” he admitted. “But I’m getting there.”

“Ok,” Nursey said after a moment, “I’ll help.” He grabbed the loose earbud, hanging beside Will’s arm, and put it in his own ear. Pressing the small button on the cord, he un-paused track four, grinning at Will. “Love this song.” Will rolled his eyes, a habit he was starting to abuse, but went back to his rhubarb without complaint.

He liked that Nursey knew the words to track four. He sung quietly, attention still on the strawberries. Will found it hard to focus on his own task, but by the time Bitty got back in the kitchen, the strawberries and rhubarb had been cut and they were being sent out of the kitchen.

 

** Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - Arcade Fire **

 

He played Mario Kart with Nursey for a few hours at the Haus, while Bitty finished up the pies. Nursey didn’t insist on listening to another song, they just sat side by side on the couch, jostling each other and chucking goldfish back and forth.

“You’re fucking dead, man.” Nursey threatened after Will had dished out another banana.

“And you’re fucking bad at this game.” Will shot back. Ransom and Holster showed up about an hour into it, and it became a brutal two on two. They beat the other D-men pair in a nail-biter, and Will had the strange feeling that Nursey was the only person he could’ve done it with.

They left when the sun began to set, walking in the same direction back to their dorms.

“Hey, my roommate is out for a few days, you wanna swing by after Lardo’s gallery tomorrow?” Nursey asked. “I’ve got beer.”

“Sure.” Will responded, because they were friends, and friends hung out alone together, and that wasn’t something weird. Will’s stomach jumped anyway. Nursey nodded, shooting him a quick goodnight and heading down the path to his own dorm.

Will listened to track five on the way home. It was his favorite so far. It made everything around him seem to weigh less, even his own steps seemed lighter. The setting sun was reflecting off the pond, painting it a gradient of orange and red. Will thought about Nursey’s voice and wondered if they were best friends. He hoped they were. 

 

** All In White - The Vaccines **

 

Will didn’t meant to get drunk, but Nursey had beer and bad action movies on his laptop, and Will had very little impulse control. By the time Die Hard was finished, he was feeling pretty shitfaced.

“Ok, listen,” Will began, eyes sluggishly trailing the credits across the small screen in front of him. Because the laptop was all they had, they had stationed themselves near the head of Nursey’s bed. Nursey was still sitting, casually leading against the headboard. Will was half way off the bed, legs dangling over the side, back still flat against the pillows. “I’m still not a lightweight…but I don’t think I can stand right now.”

Nursey laughed, and Will almost fell off the bed for real. Nursey laughed all the time. In the locker room while Bitty was playing Beyoncé and Chowder was trying to dance, during parties when Lardo kicked someone’s ass at beer pong, at Will, when his ears went red. But those were chuckles, quiet and so, infuriatingly chill. Will accepted that that was just the way Nursey laughed.

He hadn’t expected him to have a real laugh, a full one, that made his stomach shake and made Will’s chest feel full and hot.

“Dude,” Nursey began, wiping his eyes, still suppressing giggles (real, actual giggles!). “You’re definitely a lightweight.”

“And you’re definitely a douche.” Will muttered, his chest still close to busting. Nursey let his laughter pass before glancing over at his friend.

“Where’s your phone?” He asked after a moment. Without question, Will tugged it out of his back pocket. Nursey accepted it, typing in the passcode.

“How do you know my passcode?” Will asked.

“Because I know you” Nursey responded. Will glanced up at him. “It’s D, E, X and one, man. I’ve seen you put it in like, eighty times.” He chuckled. Will wished it was a full laugh again. An unfamiliar song began to play after a moment, and Nursey shut his laptop, setting it on the floor and stretching his legs out on the bed.

“Track six?” Will asked quietly, adjusting his legs so they were back on the bed as well. Nursey didn’t respond, and for a while, the two of them just laid there. Will felt like the entire right side of his body was a magnet, keenly aware of Nursey’s body beside him, despite the rest of his senses being dulled. “Shit.” He muttered after a moment.

“What’s up?” Nursey asked, eyes still glued to the ceiling.

“We have practice tomorrow, but I think I might die in my sleep tonight.” Will groaned. Nursey smirked, turning to look at his friend. Will wondered what would happen if he looked back.

“Just stay here.” Nursey offered. “I’ll make sure you don’t choke on vomit.”

“What a gentleman.” Will muttered, letting out a giggle at his own sarcastic comment. Nursey whacked his arm with his elbow. “Ow, ok, fine. I’ll stay.” He conceded. The singer on track six seemed angry, Will noted in the back of his mind. Angry, or sad. He couldn’t tell, but the guitar was nice. He wondered how Nursey would sound if he was singing along.

“You should probably get some sleep.” Nursey suggested. “You can take my bed, I’ll just sleep on John's.” He nodded to his roommate’s bed across the room. “And he’ll have to deal with it, because I know for a fact he’s had sex on mine.” Will laughed at this, arm pressed over his shut eyes.

“You know, I never said thank you.” Will muttered when he felt Nursey’s weight leave the bed. Nursey hovered by the side of the bed for a moment.

“For what?”

“The mixtape.” Will clarified, rolling onto his side. “It’s nice.” Nursey, for once, didn’t respond. Despite his shut eyes, Will knew he hadn’t left.

He fell asleep before track six was over.

 

** Everlasting Light - The Black Keys **

 

Nursey brought him water and protein bars in the morning, and they walked to practice together, sharing the earbuds again.

“Who is this?” Will asked, arm knocking against Nursey’s as they walked.

“The Black Keys.” Nursey replied, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. “Good, right?” Will took another bite of his Cliff bar and didn’t reply. He was pretty sure Nursey saw him smile anyway.  
  
Will was lucky he wasn’t hungover, because Coach made them drill until his legs felt like jello. But when they actually broke into teams to practice some plays, he felt more energized than he had in a while. It was as if, on the ice, he always knew where Nursey was going to be.

After practice, Nursey cornered him in the hallway again.

“Is this gonna become a pattern?” Will asked.

“I’m glad you like the mix.” Nursey said, and if it was anyone else, Will would’ve sworn he almost looked nervous.

“I never said that.” Will snorted, because no matter how much he may or may not enjoy the songs, he’d never admit that to Nursey. Nursey hesitated for a moment, before nodding and offering a quick grin.

“Deny all you want, man.” He turned on his heel. “But you talk a lot when you’re drunk.” Will blanched, trying desperately to remember details from the night before and praying the only thing he’d admitted was a stubborn appreciation of the mixtape.

 

** Harlem - Cathedrals **

 

They had a game the next night, and Will felt invincible on the ice. Every time Nursey caught his eye, every time one of their passes connected, Will felt his entire body spark. He loved playing hockey, he knew that every second of every day, but that night, he loved it a bit better. Their team won, and Will knew for a fact Nursey was the only person he could’ve done it with.

Will listened to track eight that night and didn’t tell him. It was cold on the way back to his dorm and the song reminded him of the way Nursey looked in the morning. He thought about Nursey standing by the bed, and his full laugh and the way his voice sounded when he sang, just loud enough for Will to hear.

Will was starting to think a lot more about Nursey.

He paused before track nine could play and stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Fuck.”

** Bite Down - Bastille ft. Haim **

   
Will knew Bob Dylan didn’t have a song about suddenly developing a crush on your teammate, possibly best friend, maybe worst enemy, but he was comforted by the familiar music anyway.

Will listened to a lot of different music before he got around to track nine. He wondered why Nursey had stopped bothering him about it, but not enough to actually ask him. This was partially because he had begun avoiding him.

“You’re avoiding me.” Nursey said one night at the Haus, mouth half full of a chocolate chip cookie Bitty had made.

“That’s false.” Will said, completely aware of the fact that he wasn’t speaking like a normal human. The kitchen was empty, which was rare on a Sunday night. It seemed that everyone else had somewhere else to. Will wished he did too.

“You’re also talking weirdly.” Nursey swelled his last bite of the cookie. Will followed the movement of his throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Dude, I’m not gonna pester you about the mixtape.” Nursey said, standing up from the kitchen table. Will watched him watch to the sink. “Just listen to it whenever, it’s-”

“Chill?” Will ventured. Nursey shot him a look.

“I hate you.” He chuckled, and a year ago, Will knew how different that would’ve sounded. He liked it better this way.

“Do you always make mixtapes for people you hate?” Will asked, and desperately wished the kitchen wasn’t empty. Nursey turned around, glass of water abandoned in the sink.

“You really haven’t been listening have you?” Nursey asked. Will hesitated.

“I’m almost on track nine.” He finally said. Nursey nodded, and for a moment, looked like he was gonna say something more. Will didn’t want him to, so he just stood up, mumbled something about an early class and left.

Will didn’t listen to track nine until he was in bed later that night, and for the first time, he really tried to listen.

 

** It’s Strange - Lois the Child **

 

Will didn’t mean to storm into Nursey’s dorm, but he was always accused of being dramatic, so he thought he might as well live up the accusations.

He even listened to track ten on the way over. It just pissed him off more.

“Fuck you!” Will barged past Nursey once he opened his door.

“Ok, valid, but elaboration would be very welcome.” Nursey responded calmly.

“Why are you so calm?” Will asked, well aware of how red his face had become.  
  
“Why are you so angry?” Nursey responded, hands still tucked in the pocket of his sweatpants.

“Because of this!” Will tugged his phone out his back pocket, brandishing it like a piece of evidence from a crime scene. Nursey raised an eyebrow. “Because of the mixtape.” He elaborated with a huff.

“You really hated it that much?” Nursey asked, voice wavering on something not quite calm.

“No, God, of course I didn’t hate it.” Will threw his hands up, frustrated with himself, with Nursey, with every damn band he’d listened to on that dumb mixtape. “I loved it, and I love the songs you chose and,” Will stopped himself, suddenly very aware of the path he was heading down.

“Did you finish it?” Nursey asked, stepping closer to Will.

“Why does that matter?” Will asked, anger rising again.

“I want you to hear the whole thing.” Nursey was a lot closer to him now, close enough to reach out and touch Will if he wanted to. Frustrated, Will unlocked his phone and clicked on the final track.

 

** Coffee - Sylvan Esso **

 

“It took you a really long time to finish it.” Nursey said, glancing down at the phone in Will’s hand.

“It’s taking you even longer to tell me what the hell this all means.” Will said, his anger fading into exhaustion. “I mean, I’m sure you and your hipster friends and communicate solely through indie music and breakfast sandwiches but-”

“Hey, Will.” Will froze at the sound of his first name from Nursey’s mouth.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Listen.”

“I’ve been trying.” He could barely hear the song now. He was so focused on Nursey, on his mouth and how close it was to his own. “You just haven’t been talking.”

“Ok.” Nursey responded, and when had they started whispering? Nursey was so close to him now, Will’s whole body felt alive with their proximity. “Do you want me to talk now?”

“No.” Will mumbled, and because he wasn’t about to be beat by Derek Nurse, he kissed him first. Will felt a hand in his hair and another on the small of his back before Nursey really started to kiss back. Will parted his lips, and they were stumbling slightly, making out for real now. He kissed Nursey until the song ended, until he was breathless and beat red.

“Should I talk now?” Nursey asked after a moment of partially stunned silence. Will gave a dazed nod, attention more focused on the way Nursey’s t-shirt rode up on his hips than anything he had to say. “I think you should probably date me.”  
  
“How about you date me?” Will challenged without thinking.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Nursey grinned.

“Shut up.” And Will was kissing him again. If this was competition, as most things between them were, he was definitely winning. At some point, Will’s phone had slipped out of his grip, so now his hands were free to move below the hem of Nursey’s t-shirt, just enough to feel the muscle there. Nursey’s hands came to cup up his face, and they stumbled again, bumping into a bed frame. Nursey pulled away, glancing behind him.

“Maybe I should really get back at John.” Nursey mumbled. Will tried to hide his growing blush with another kiss. “Ok, hear me out,” Nursey pulled away again. Will groaned.

“You really don’t need to talk this much.” He insisted, leaning his cheek against Nursey’s hand.

“Maybe we should just date each other.” Nursey said before he could continue. Will had never seen Nursey nervous, but he was pretty sure it looked an awful lot like this.

“I listen to eleven of your dumb songs, and all I get is a ‘maybe’?” Will was happy to see Nursey smile. He wanted to make that happen even more.

“You love them.” Nursey insisted, moving his hands to rest on Will’s waist.

“Yeah,” Will nodded, leaning in again. “I do.”


End file.
